ARC OF THE IMMORTALS/ Book 1 — Part 2

Pursuit: 26 / Jumping in Place

Recap: The Mu used a fast quick jump drive until it broke down. In the interim, they were forced to use jump tubes and a long-range jump drive. Jac explores the Blue World. The engineers and tech workers rush to complete the Needlecraft refit. They charged the artificial quantum singularity engine. It failed at the last minute.

“Jac, let’s change places,” Touzdae said.

“Given my blindness do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Yes. Everything will align. It’s a feeling. I got the message from my fa-ma and my ma-fa in the blue world,” Touzdae said. She continued, “You can do everything by thought and voice with the neural interface. And I’ll be here as your co-pilot.”

“Alright then. Since the transdimensional space is open most of the time I think you should climb back here first.”

“Good idea,” Touzdae uttered.

“I hear you smile, sweet one,” Jac said.

“COS, eighteen small vessels within sensor range, 6 scout crafts, limited armament, 9 Class D Wedge Attack ships, 2 frigates, and one Genetics League Heavy Cruiser on approach,” Chief Sensor Operator reported.

“It’s now or never Jac,” the Captain whispered to the Spirits.

“Ninety-three percent,” Jac reported.

“Check,” Touzadae said, monitoring.

“Opening throttles to full. Check Polar Compensators,” Jac barked as the hum grew louder by small increments.

“Compensators spun up to — maximum,” Touzdae reported.

“Ninety-nine percent.”

“Scouts, Wedge Attack ships, and a frigate within visual range,” COS reported.

“No communications from them, yet, Captain,” the Communications Officer reported.

“On main screen,” Tommalar barked.

The formation of ships looked forbidding.

“One Hundred Percent. It’s happening.”

From the Engineer Control Station, instruments and eye-to-scene registered the jump. It was uneventful.

“Erase all recordings of the event. Put monitoring equipment in maintenance stand-by mode and alter all logs to match.” The Commander of Engineering emphasized the orders to his team. He opened the com to the bridge:

“The launch appeared successful. All records have been erased and covered,” the Engineering Commander reported to the Bridge.

“We are being hailed by the frigate,” the Communications Officer reported.

“Audio only,” Tommalar said.

“Where is he?” Bendel demanded.

“He’s not here,” the Captain reported. “We have boarded the human ship and have made extensive scans. There are faint traces of time displacement. It could be echoes of their own jump drives or it could have been a craft traveling through time.”

“Send the scans, I want to see them,” Bendel said. “Stand by.”

The scans arrived on Nez’s monitors. Bendel smiled thinly.

“Continue with your report, Captain.”

“We have placed three cloaked trackers aboard. Do you want us to detain the ship?”

“No. Good work, Captain. Activate all three trackers at level one once you leave their vessel. No further action needed, out.” Bendel depressed the switch and the viewer shut.

“That clever bastard,” Bendel remarked. “He went back in-time.”

“But how could he have done that?” Harry was beside himself.

“He reconfigured the ship into an original Needlecraft and folded space and time. Very clever,” Bendel’s demeanor was one of pride and admiration for Jac.

“So, what do we do now?” Harry whined.

The Fish stayed well outside the lip of The Well of Souls.

“We stay put and wait. Call in your attack fleet. I will again try to access the Fish’s subconscious realms. There is much to do.”

“He is still coming for this ship, right?” Harry queried.

“Of course, he is, but he’ll be coming through time. This is much better and it’s clear that he has reunited with himself, so he is the old Jac — very formidable. I welcome this — Jac,” Bendel stood raising his arms into fists:

“Bring it on!” He shouted.

Space and time flowed over the Needlecraft and it popped out of one time and into another.

“Oh, my Spirits!” Jac exclaimed.

“What Jac?”

“My vision is returning. I feel so grateful. It’s a bit blurry.”

Jac checked the instruments with eyes open and eyes closed.

“This is it!”

“Why this time?”

“My Father told me a story once about Georgi Forae. Apparently, he was visited by someone from the future that confirmed his theories about the original Needlecraft design. So, we’re fulfilling what already has happened for us without disrupting the timeline,” he said seriously.

“When do we get there?”

“About three to four days. We travel by jump tube to just outside the Antares Beta System. We travel by ion drive to a moon around the fifth planet. The hyperspace tube travel should take about six hours.”

“How’s the reconstruction of that genetic device of yours, Harry?” Bendel asked.

“I’ve remembered the schematics and am assembling it. We should be able to identify our Jac from enemy Jac and manipulate the genes we want at a distance of 9 parsecs. We could completely disable him,” Harry chuckled.

The craft exited the jump tube after a six-hour trip. The Needlecraft quivered as the ion drive came online and they started the journey. The space around Touzdae contracted bringing Touzdae back to the tiny cabin space. A moment later expanded to Jac’s — Captain’s cabin in the aft of the Fish, including the plasma portals. They synced to the scenes outside the ship in real-time.

Jac strolled aft to the rear plasma portals and looked out into the vastness of space.

“How long do we have to wait?” Harry complained.

“How long will until your device is completed?”

“I’m taking a break, there is time right?”

“Break later. I will have to test it,” Bendel was full of himself.

“Don’t you mean, we will have to test it?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

The transporter delivered a cooked meal of steaming vegetables, protein turkel-root bulbs, and mixed grains. They ate the meal under candlelight…

the previous story

Thank you for joining me in the adventures that span lifetimes and worlds. (If you do NOT wish to be tagged, let me know, and I’ll tag you not):

Barbara Murray | K. Pearson Bradley | René Beauchemin | Dougfrombk | Rebecca Romanelli | Joseph Lieungh | Dr. Preeti Singh | Pene Hodge | Ravyne Hawke | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Kris Bedenian | Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀 | Blaine Coleman | Lee David Tyrrell | DL Nemeril | David Price | Rip Parker | Annelise Lords | Libby Shively McAvoy |